Danube at 1,150 m3/s: EPS hydropower under a third

The Danube’s flow is about 1,150 cubic meters per second, lower than in August, and the largest hydropower plants of Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) are producing less than a third of their average output, according to a Mining and Energy Ministry statement issued after a meeting at the Nikola Tesla A thermal power plant (TENT A). The figures came from caretaker Mining and Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic, ahead of the start of the heating season on October 15.

The minister spoke with EPS management and the directors in charge of coal and electricity production in Obrenovac, Kostolac and Kolubara about how ready the generating capacity is for winter. She opened the discussion with an assessment of priorities:

“Serbia’s energy security is a priority, and preserving it in exceptionally challenging conditions requires every generating capacity to be well prepared, especially the thermal power plants, along with stable coal production. The role of the thermal power sector is particularly significant in this historically unfavorable hydrological year on the Danube.”

What does the low Danube flow mean for EPS?

When hydropower plants produce less, the gap in electricity has to be covered on the market, and the cost falls on the company itself. The minister explained it this way:

“Summer is over and the high temperatures are behind us, but the Danube’s flow is now lower than in August, at around 1,150 cubic meters per second. Because of that, our largest hydropower plants are producing less than a third of their average output. Every megawatt-hour of electricity we have to secure on the market carries significant financial consequences, which EPS bears.”

The published statements give no figure for what EPS pays for electricity bought on the market. We previously reported EPS’s profit of 17.5 billion dinars and investments at 38% of plan, but these figures do not show how much the weak hydrology affected that result.

How much coal is in the power plants’ stockpiles?

Sources differ on the number. According to the ministry’s statement, stocks have reached about 1.93 million tons against a target of two million, which leaves a gap of roughly 70,000 tons. The Beta news agency reported the minister as saying stocks stand at 1.95 million tons, about 20,000 tons more. The texts available do not make clear on what occasion or on what day that second figure was given. At TENT A, the minister said:

“Coal stocks at the power plants’ stockpiles have reached about 1.93 million tons and are approaching the target of two million tons. That is an important foundation for stable electricity production through the winter. Continuing stable coal production and further growth in stocks remain among our priorities, because the reliable operation of thermal power plants also depends on a secure supply of this fuel. The new mining equipment that has started operating at Radljevo will play a significant role in that.”

Coal production, she said, has made up the shortfall from the first part of the year and is now at planned levels. Because of the unfavorable conditions on the Danube, shipments of the coal used to improve the quality and heating value of Kolubara lignite were slowed for months. The minister said this matters so that the largest generating capacity in Obrenovac can run at the maximum possible output.

Are the thermal power plants ready for winter?

The directors told the minister that overhauls of the coal production and delivery systems are complete. In the thermal power sector, overhaul work is expected to finish in early November, and, according to the statement, it has been adapted to the poor hydrology. The thermal plants average about 50 years in age, not counting the new unit at Kostolac, and the minister puts overhauls at the center of reliability:

“Bearing in mind that the average age of the thermal power plants, not counting the new unit at Kostolac, is around 50 years, it is clear that it is increasingly demanding to ensure their reliable operation. They are, however, the foundation of the security of Serbia’s power system, and the key to their reliability is regular overhauls, continuous maintenance and timely correction of identified defects.”

EPS’s district heating systems are ready to heat Obrenovac, Kostolac and Pozarevac. Beta’s report also states that, according to the minister, gas stocks are at a record 707 million cubic meters in storage in Serbia and Hungary, and that all 60 heating plants in the country are ready for the heating season.

Why is a boiler at the Kolubara plant running again?

One boiler at the Kolubara thermal power plant, which had not operated for the previous nine months, is in service. According to the statement, it has been running since the day before the meeting, because the Lazarevac settlement of Veliki Crljeni has no alternative heating. The minister explained:

“It is the oldest thermal power plant and it did not operate for the previous nine months, but now it is the only choice. Serbia is on the path of energy transition and cutting emissions of harmful gases, and that is not in question, but we cannot make decisions overnight and we cannot leave people without heating during the winter.”

How many people has EPS hired, and what about wages?

At the end of the meeting the minister turned to staffing. In the past three years EPS has hired 2,913 workers, of whom 2,026 were previously engaged through the company Protent. She added that in the same period twice as many new generations of engineers and workers were hired as between 2020 and 2023. On the transfer of workers from Protent, she said:

“In this year alone, 854 workers moved from Protent to EPS, while more than 1,900 workers are planned to be taken on in 2027, which clearly shows that our goal is for everyone directly involved in producing coal and electricity to be employed by EPS.”

Wages at EPS were raised by 10% this year and will be raised again from January 1, 2027; the size of the new increase has not been given. The minister concluded: “We will continue both the trend of strengthening staffing capacity and the trend of improving the material position of employees.”